Curious Things
by KimmyHazard
Summary: "Curious things, habits. People themselves never knew they had them" - Agatha Christie. (I honestly can't think of how to summarize this story except that it's a Loki/OC fic that follows the events of Thor and runs through Avengers and then some... so... give it a chance I guess!)
1. New Beginnings

**Author's Note: **Hey y'all! It's me, I'm back and here's my new story!

I was so happy with the results on my last fanfic that I couldn't wait to bring this one to you! So I hope to see some old readers and welcome all new readers!

Anyway, this chapter will be kind-of slow because its the start up chapter so please take that to mind...

And of course, reviews are welcomed, I love reviews, I love reading them and I'll try to answer your questions in these little notes up here so... yeah!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Avengers or any Marvel characters... if I did, I'd be rich and living on an island somewhere drinking a pina colada or something.

And with all my stories...

**Read, Review, and above all... Enjoy!**

* * *

Her wide eyes stared in wonder at the stars forming above her in the great void. She sat on the small hill in her own backyard, to her small frame then, it was a mountain. The sky was darkening, the sun leaving less and less of a pink shade to the west as her eyes fixated to make out the shining shapes above her.

She's point to the stars, connecting dots with her fingers and making constellations. It was close to bedtime and Grace was not ready to tread the silence of sleep just yet. She had heard these stories before, and even though she was not one to ever be late to her father's stories, tonight she had more important matters to attend to.

"Why Miss Grace Harper, what are you doing out here and not in bed?" A soft, loving male voice came from behind as he walked closer to his young daughter. She giggled into the night sky as he approached her, sitting down next to her and crossing his legs loosely. "You will miss all my stories if you do not hurry to bed."

She smiled brightly, her blue eyes sparkling with awe. "Dad, I can't go sleep yet, I'm looking for Asgard!" She exclaimed, looking back to the sky. "But I can never seem to find it." She said in defeat.

Her father smiled, leaning closer to the girl and pointing up. "It's because you're not looking hard enough."

She waited a few moments, sighing as nothing came of watching. "It's not there, dad." The seven year old groaned.

He chuckled at her stubbornness. "You'll find it someday, I know you will; but, until then Gracie, it is bedtime."

"One more minute dad, please?" She pleaded, her blue eyes beckoning for the extra minute.

He sighed in defeat, a loving and happy defeat at his daughter's need for adventure and proof. "One more minute, but then you're coming inside, got it, Kiddo?"

She smiled, nodding eagerly as her father stood up from his spot and headed into the house to apologize to his wife for giving in so easily to their daughter.

Little Grace Harper sat on that small hill, her knees tucked under her as she stared up to the sky for one minute longer, awaiting for the cosmos to realign, anything. After all seemed lost and hopeless, she stood; ready to go inside in defeat. But then, in that single moment, a bright rainbow light came to the sky. It was radiant and only shone for maybe thirty seconds. That was enough to send Grace into a fit of excitement as she whispered into the night sky "Asgard…" before rushing into the house to tell her father…

But that was then and then seemed so long ago…

* * *

**21 years to be exact…**

Agent Phil Coulson walked as quickly as possible, six different files in his right hand as he continued towards the main conference room of SHIELD. He was tired, functioning only on a caffeine binge and chips from the vending machine. He had finally found a few different options to hopefully appease Director Fury and their superiors. He marched right into the conference room; Director Fury was looking out the window. "Director Fury?" Coulson breathed, Fury turned around to watch as Agent Coulson placed the files on the table. "I found a new lead."

Fury just nodded as he walked over to Coulson and the files. Fury took a moment to skim the files of one Grace Harper, archeologist and Norse mythology extraordinaire. "Is she what we are looking for?"

"She's the best in her field." Coulson commented, looking to Fury as he began to look more thoroughly at her files. "She has been the lead on a few dig teams through different archeological digs, is an expert on Norse mythology, and she leads the studies on the Cosmic Cube, or as we know it, Tesseract." He took a quick breath. "If you were looking for a specialist on the Tesseract, it's her."

Fury replied with a simple 'Hm' before asking. "Does she have any idea what happened in New Mexico?"

Coulson shook his head. "She is from New York; anyone outside that small town has no idea what really went down."

"Another one that doesn't play well with others, the smart types usually are." Fury raised a questioning eyebrow as he read her report a little more. "I already have one trouble maker to keep track of." Fury immediately thought of his latest headache, Tony Stark; the genius, playboy, millionaire who wasn't exactly cooperating with the latest initiative.

"She shouldn't be a problem." Coulson reassured him, knowing Fury's twitch was a reference to Stark. "From what I gather, she is dying to get her chance back into her research, any lead into that she'd probably jump at."

"What's stopping her?"

Coulson hesitated slightly. "She may or may not have been discredited for her work." Fury was about to object to Coulson's decision, yet, Coulson was faster in his reply. "By non-believers of course; after asking Selvig, however, he believes her work is unparalleled. She's smart, she just doesn't know how smart."

"We have Selvig working on the Tesseract as it is what use could she be for us?"

"Selvig believes that Ms. Harper may be the key to figuring out the Tesseract and unlocking its true potential. She is our best option."

Fury, his face unmoving, finally agreed. "Make contact, whatever she needs for her research, give it to her. Give her an assistant, supplies, and transportation. Get her started."

* * *

The sweet, spicy smell of gingerbread coffee filled the faculty break room. The Keurig percolating; the coffee sputtering out into the old brown coffee mug with a faded caricature of 'Snoopy'; it was the first day of a new semester. Grace Harper inhaled deeply, brushing a piece of her wavy red hair behind her ear as the smell intoxicated her. Here it was, 6:55 pm, her next and final class of the day at 7:15 pm.

She hated teaching. It was not her first choice for a career, in fact, it was safe to say it were her last choice. She was an archeologist, an explorer. She would take trips to Scandinavia in her college days alongside a group of other college students, and learn the mythos of the Scandinavian people.

She was brilliant. She was a very promising archeologist, first in her class, often found new discoveries of the 'Gods of Old' at different dig sights. She was in her prime then… but that was then.

At her peak, she began to present her findings on the Cosmic Cube; her beliefs on its existence made her a threat to some and caused her own demise. No one would have her on their excavations after that, calling her 'Crazy' for her discredited work. She was forced to take the only job that would accept her, teaching job at a community college teaching others of her own works, now far from the dig sights she used to love. On the brink of 28, Grace was beginning her midlife crisis.

Grace grabbed her cup of warm gingerbread coffee, poured two sugar packets in, and headed out towards her class. Her trusted notebook, where her life's work was held, placed securely under her arm as she walked with coffee in hand.

Grace was the epitome of 'workaholic'. Her research was her life and that was that. She spent her free hours reading books, maps, and her own notes to keep her busy. It was all she knew and that was another fault in her tale. Her work was the only thing she could trust, it never stabbed her in the back, lied, and cheated her. It was her safety net yet she never got back up after falling from so high.

The students were already seated; Grace cracked an amused smirk as she eyed them all. '_Eager, are we?_' she thought to herself as she placed her notebook down on the desk in front of her. The student to chair ratio was a bit off, they had placed her in a classroom designed for 50 or more students…there were maybe 20 in the class. She scanned the classroom quickly, looking at her new students faces before clearing her throat. "Welcome." She smiled slightly. "This is Norse Mythology, R516, if you are in the wrong class please get up and leave now and the rest of us will try not to stare and mock you as you go." To her surprise, everyone stayed put. She raised an eyebrow is amusement before continuing. "Well, I am Professor Harper, in this class you are required to have an open mind and are expected to do the readings each night." She sighed, her shoulder slightly falling in defeat. "I know this is just an easy science credit for many of you, but I will fail you, is that clear?" She heard a few snickers come from the back, and just rolled her eyes. "The only book I expect you to have is 'The Norse Myths' by Kevin Crossley-Holland. Class dismissed."

The class shuffled out one by one as Grace eyed a few students carefully before looking down at her notebook. Her most prized possession, her greatest accomplishments and defeats belonged in this notebook. It was the only thing in her life keeping her going. "I always hated the first day of class." Grace looked up from her notes to see a man, dressed in a suit, slightly balding, and a smile on his lips as he looked at her. "It was always awkward for the professor and students to meet for the first time."

Grace smiled slightly. "And you are?"

He nodded, moving closer, his hand extended. "Apologies, Ms. Harper." His smile never fading as Grace hesitantly shook his hand. "I'm Phil Coulson."

Grace closed her notebook and adjusted her top slightly, pulling it down as she looked back at Coulson. "And how can I help you, _Mr. Coulson_?" She clutched her notebook under her arm securely. Coulson noted this, she was very untrusting. "I do have a busy schedule to keep."

Coulson chuckled softly. "I'm sure you do. I'm here, Ms. Harper, to offer you something more than this teaching position."

Grace raised an eyebrow at Coulson, her skepticism rising. "What exactly are you offering?"

"Your research on the Tesseract has attracted a lot of positive attention from my boss and another participating scientist." Coulson said. "We want your help with understanding the Tesseract."

Grace narrowed her eyes. "How do you know about my research?"

"We know a lot about you Grace." Coulson raised a hand, trying to calm Grace as she tensed. "Not in a negative way. I would like to explain more about my organization and what we do. However, I need to know if you're on board."

"And your organization is?"

"We are the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate." Grace just gave him a confused look. "SHIELD for short."

"That's a mouthful; never heard of you." Grace replied disinterested.

"We're a more… discrete organization." Coulson said. "We are involved with the more _interesting_ things the public does not understand."

"Funny you say interesting because I'm not interested." Grace replied sharply as she gathered the rest of her things, preparing to leave. She was defensive, it was her fatal flaw. She wasn't always this way, she could remember a time when she wasn't. That was then.

"Yes, because being in a classroom and not in the field on a dig sight sound more fun." Coulson replied causing Grace to stop. "I am here to offer you an opportunity; a chance for you to start over and return to your research." Coulson shrugged. "But, since you are not interested and all-"

Grace made eye contact once more, a look of desperation in her eyes, Coulson knew he had her. "And if I agree to this, I would expect full control of this operation. No babysitting, my work is my work, I don't want some _'big brother'_ to watch over me."

"We wouldn't have it any other way." Coulson said. "The only thing we ask is that you work with us. We're here for the same cause, Ms. Harper."

"And what is your cause?" She asked skeptically.

"Education and discovery; that's all we ask." He replied with a grin. "We just want to know what we're up against."

Grace raised a suspicious eyebrow as she eyed Coulson. "You are aware my specialty is in _myths_, correct? The Tesseract is just a legend." Her eyes gave her away, like she knew something more to be had.

Coulson just continued to smile. "Can we count on you?"

Grace bit her lip as she thought. The idea of being back in the field was intoxicating to her. To be back to her research was gnawing at the back of her mind. She'd give anything to go back… but could she? She sighed in a somewhat defeated manor, retaliating Coulson's smile with a skeptical smirk of her own. "If I say to pull the plug, we pull it, got it?" She had to make that notion clear.

"You're the boss."

Grace nodded, somewhat happy with her decision. Her heart raced and she felt a little nauseous due to her nerves and excitement. "When do we start?" Coulson just smiled.

* * *

Coulson had sworn to Grace, before entering the jet, that she would not feel a thing. The SHIELD jet would take them from New York to Norway in less than 5 hours and no one would be the wiser. Grace hated flying; the idea of being in an enclosed space so many feet above ground level was not her cup of tea. In fact, she was so afraid to fly; she nearly backed out of the entire operation.

Coulson had managed to convince her otherwise, however. She was now walking up the stairs and into the jet itself. Her breaths short and harsh as she found a seat on the aisle, clutching her brown carryon bag; she finally felt herself becoming relaxed as Coulson sat across from her. "Excited?"

Grace forced a laugh. "Not excited to die."

"We'll be fine; I've flown in this thing many times." He tried to reassure her.

"So where are we going exactly?" Grace asked, trying to change the subject. What was she doing here? So impulsively she decided to drop everything in her life. SHIELD seemed to have an answer for everything, Coulson said they'd take care of everything for her; all she had to do was show up. Here she was, she showed. Her impulsiveness brought her here but, where exactly was she going? How could she trust this organization? Simple, she couldn't, and that excited her.

"Right, I suppose now is a good time to explain more of what we are looking to do." Coulson said, reaching for the briefcase he came with, unlocking the combination and handing a file to Grace. "The Tesseract, as you're aware, is a power source said to be from the Gods." Grace narrowed her eyes at Coulson whom cleared his throat.

"The Tesseract was the jewel of Odin's treasure room." Grace corrected as she looked into the file more. "It was said to be lost during the last age of worship by men."

"I knew I found the right person for this." Coulson joked as he continued. "In 1940's a German SS officer named Johann Schmidt used the Tesseract to create a weapon to destroy all who opposed him."

Grace swallowed hard as she stared at the images of the Tesseract. "You found it?" She asked in disbelief as she looked to Coulson. "You have the Tesseract?" He nodded in reply. "Is that where we are going, to see it?"

"We're heading to Tonsberg Norway, where the cube was originally found." Grace nearly squealed as she quickly rummaged through her duffle bag, pulling out her notebook and flipping pages furiously until she stopped on a page, showing it to Coulson.

"I had pinpointed that location when I first began my research, if the Tesseract existed, which apparently it does, then this is where I'd find it." Grace smiled brightly as Coulson looked at her notes, he was impressed at her notes; showing the exact location of the Tesseract.

"How did you determine this?" Coulson asked. "As far as I am concerned, no one really knows much about the Tesseract."

Grace closed her notebook, tucking it back into her back. "This 'Schmidt' and I grew up on the same stories. I also studied a ton of maps to see any correlation between the myths and maps that were said to be from that time, and compared it to today's maps and…" She laughed nervously as she realized she had gone off on a tangent. "I don't do anything else with my life."

Coulson nodded with a smile. "Well, this really reassures me of your skills."

"So why are we heading to where the Tesseract was found, not that I honestly mind."

"For hints or clues about the Tesseract; we want to learn as much as we can about it, maybe there is something there?" Coulson said.

"You're trying to control it?" Grace asked suspiciously.

"No, just trying to study it." Coulson said. "If something this powerful is hiding on earth, imagine what else is there that we don't know about." Grace nodded, looking away from Coulson and out the window, her eyes wide in shock as she realized they had already taken off. She looked back to Coulson who just chuckled. "I told you it was going to be an easy trip."

Swallowing hard, Grace gripped her seat tightly. "What happens when we land?" She asked breathlessly as sheer panic overtook her small frame.

"We have a team down there excavating the sight as we speak but, we need a professional down there to tell us exactly what we are looking at." Coulson said cleaning up the files on the Tesseract to hand Grace files on her team. "They're very good at what they do and will do everything you ask of them." She flipped through them lazily before stopping on one in particular. It was a man, age 29, height 6'2, slicked back jet black hair, and piercing green eyes. He managed to catch her attention as Coulson cleared his throat. "It's funny you turned to this profile in particular. This is Lucas Larson; he was hired to be your assistant."

"Don't need nor care for an assistant." Grace muttered a pit in her stomach at the thought of having an assistant. She didn't care for the idea or what it represented to her in the past.

"He's very knowledgeable on Norse mythology, his test scores on the subject were through the roof. He's cleared by our background check and very-"

"That's nice, Phil. However, you can tell Mr. Larson to go home. I work alone."

Coulson sighed slightly. "Directory Fury was right about the 'smart ones being the more difficult ones'." He said. "I must insist on having Lucas around, you don't have to trust him with any of your work, just have him help you."

Grace groaned. She had her reasons not wanting an assistant. However, she knew this was one thing that would not budge. "Fine, but, this doesn't mean we'll be buddies." She said, still staring down at Lucas's profile. There was something about him that distressed her. What that something was, well, that was something she'd come to figure out.

Coulson chuckled. "I wouldn't think so."

* * *

**Final Thoughts: **And that's our OC Grace... she's a little difficult but I promise you'll soon understand her character better... and this mysterious Lucas Larson hmmm... I wonder who he could be. Anyway! Leave me some nice reviews to keep the story going! I'll try to respond as best as I can!


	2. I've Never Crossed the River

**Authoress Rantings of sorts: **Hey y'all! Sorry for the delay in chapter uploading, I wanted to make sure this chapter was fully finished before giving you something I wasn't proud of. So here's chapter two!

Thank you to those who reviewed, followed, and added this story to their favorite list! That means so much and I hope you guys say hi and review more, don't be shy! Reviews really help make the writing process go faster! I also just like hearing from you!

I'm also glad you guys like Grace! She's a pistol and she's not afraid to be a pain in the butt. You'll see what I mean in this chapter and the upcoming ones!

Anyway! Let's bring on that disclaimer!

**Disclaimer:**I do not own the Marvel Universe or any character from said universe. If I did, I'd be retired on an island off the coast somewhere drinking a fruity drink and burning under the warm sun (I don't tan... at all). That being said, I only own my OFC and any other OC's I may introduce later down the line.

And finally... The most important part!

**Read, Review, and above all... Enjoy!**

* * *

After their plane landed in Norway, Coulson had to convince Grace to climb into a helicopter to reach the dig sight. After many grunts and groans, she finally agreed to get into the helicopter, her heart racing as it took off to the sight. However, the minute she saw the dig sight, her fears vanished and excitement replaced all doubt once the copter landed.

She jumped out, inhaling deeply as she saw people entering and exiting the shrine with different tools, charts, and conversations. They were speaking her language and it enthralled her. She clutched her notebook tightly as Coulson escorted her inside the building. "It's a church." Grace marveled as she became lost in her surroundings of inside the church. Her eyes surveying the room, a table to her left and then to her right, her heart began racing as her eyes immediately fell onto the Yggdrasil sculpted into the wall. "It was found here, wasn't it?" She asked, rushing over the image, examining it carefully.

"She's rather eager, isn't she?" A voice said from behind her, a voice that sent chills up her spine that she quickly shook off. It was a softer voice, a light hint of an English accent hidden within it.

"Eager because I love being right." She dismissed the feeling as best she could.

"Grace, I'd like you to meet your new assistant, Lucas Larson." Coulson said talking to Grace's back as she continued to examine the wall, flipping into her notebook and jotting a few random notes.

"I'd say it's a pleasure but, I find no pleasure in being forced to work with someone."

Lucas chuckled as Coulson sighed, looking to him apologetically. "She takes some getting used to."

"No matter, we'll be fast friends, won't we Grace?"

Her eyes never left her notebook. "It's Ms. Harper, Mr. Larson. That is how we will address each other for the rest of your time here; however short." She didn't understand why she had such a sudden dislike for this man. Her first sight of him in his file, there was something heavy between them, something she felt that was different than any other person she had ever encountered.

He just smirked before walking closer to her, peering over her shoulder. Grace narrowed her eyes as she closed her notebook to look at him finally; the green eyes throwing her for a moment. "I can debrief you on our exact mission here, Ms. Harper."

"That won't be necessary; I doubt you can really help me here, Mr. Larson. I'm sure you can't even explain to me what we are looking at."

His eyes never let her blue ones go as a curl crept onto his lips. "This right here is the Yggdrasil, the world tree; each branch representing a different Realm of the Nine Realms." He began pointing to different parts of the tree. "This right here is Svartalfheim, this one is Hel, this one is Jotunheim, and this one here is Asgard." He stopped pointing as his grin grew to her angered expression. "I can keep going if you'd like."

She then found a smirk of her own. "That won't be necessary, Mr. Larson." She replied as she became distracted again by the Yggdrasil and her own notes. Lucas chuckled softly as he walked back over to Coulson.

"I think you two will be just fine." He joked. "Anything Ms. Harper needs, help her out, okay?"

"But of course." Lucas said his eyes never leaving Grace as Coulson exited the church. Grace was difficult, he got that feeling the moment she walked into the church. There was something about her presence though that intrigued him further. She was hiding something, holding back it seemed. Her defensive nature showed her walls and he was determined to play at her game and shatter the girl completely. That was his true nature.

* * *

The next day, Grace had unpacked her brushes and was examining the wall more thoroughly, taking samples and jotting different notes and drawings into her notebook. Lucas stayed clear of her the first day, knowing he would get nowhere with the stubborn girl. On the second day, he waited; he observed from a distance and waited until it was later in the day before he made a move.

He took note of how she operated. He was able to determine she was a workaholic just by the way she functioned. Work was her number one priority that was blatantly clear. He knew if he was going to get anywhere with Grace, he'd have to appeal to that notion. Lucas had also noted that Grace had trouble taking care of herself. He could not remember if she had eaten or drank anything within the past 24 hours (something Coulson said to be wary of).

Lucas decided it was time to make peace with Grace and grabbed a water bottle before walking over to the wall, standing behind Grace and waiting for her acknowledgement. "You're in my light." She said flatly.

"I came to see if you needed any help or assistance." He offered. "I am, after all, your assistant."

Grace exhaled through her nose. "As I stated earlier, Mr. Larson, you are not needed here. I am perfectly capable of working on this by myself."

"You can call me Lucas."

"Lucas implies we are friendly."

He smirked, diverting the conversation to his original intent, peace. "I brought you water, you really should hydrate."

She quirked an eyebrow, a slight curl to her lips as sarcasm came pouring from her mouth. "Are you a doctor now, Mr. Larson?" She felt slightly bad for the way she was treating him but, that was her defense mechanism.

Lucas merely snorted, this girl was infuriating, and she was different from other people he had met here, not as easily won over. His attention turned to what Grace was working on. "Any ideas on what you're looking for? The rest of the team seems to be focused on different areas than this."

Grace narrowed her eyes at his suggestion of her incompetence. "They're focused on the other areas because they do not know what they should really be looking at."

"And what would that be?" His voice was velvet and that irked Grace the more it echoed in her ears.

"I'm not sure yet." Lucas just chuckled; this girl was ridiculous to him, her methods uncouth. "But it's best we start at the source and work our way from there."

"And you believe this to be our source?" He asked somewhat impatiently. He needed answers, he needed to move forward be practical, and time was running out.

Grace sighed, looking away from the wall and to Lucas. "You ask an awful lot of questions." The two stared at each other, unmoving as their eyes met; her soft blue eyes with his intense green ones. Neither one dared to lose their staring match as they continued their gaze. Grace was the first to look away as she became distracted by the workers and Agents now leaving the church. She looked around curiously before looking at Lucas for an answer. "Where is everyone going?"

"It's late, they're going to rest, and you should too."

"Rest is for those not on the verge of a breakthrough."

Lucas felt a smirk tug on the corner of his lips as he replied. "I thought you were unsure of your _breakthrough._" She narrowed her eyes as a small, faint smile formed on her lips before Lucas sighed. "I would be assuming correctly that you won't be going to rest?"

Grace nodded. "I can't rest yet." She looked at the wall. "Not when something feels so off."

"Off?" He asked, his attention returning to the wall. "What do you mean by off?"

Grace pursed her lips before stretching at her spot, her hands above her as she twisted and turned, blinking a few times. Her mind raced a thousand miles a minute, thought after thought, processing whatever it could. "Do you see it?" She asked Lucas, turning to face him again.

Lucas continued to stare at the wall. "I see the Yggdrasil."

"Details are imperative, Mr. Larson." Grace said, a knowing smirk forming on her lips, she saw it.

He narrowed his eyes at her comment, then, he saw it. He had noticed it before but had thought nothing of it. It was a minor detail but Grace seemed so sure of it, and now that he was looking at it, there must be something to it. "Asgard and Midgard are in the wrong places."

She beamed as he looked at her, somewhat impressed. "There must be a reason."

"Impressive observation, Ms. Harper however, what does it mean?" Lucas commented.

A cheeky grin overtook her face. "I know, right?" Lucas just chuckled. "It means I have a lot of work to do."

"You do?" He asked.

"Boy, do I ever." She was a little too excited, alarming Lucas slightly for what was to come next. "I have reading to do."

"I can help you." Lucas offered.

"Reading is usually a one man job." She said shortly. "One person per book and all that-"

"Yes, and while you read one book I can read another."

She bit the inside of her lip, thinking through the offer before finding another excuse to warn him of. "It'll probably be a long night, no sleep."

Lucas grinned with a look of '_Please, don't lecture me'_. "Good thing I hardly sleep."

She couldn't get rid of him, which was obvious as she sighed. "Fine, but if any books are damaged from your grimy hands, you're out of here." She threatened to a laughing Lucas as the two left the church.

Grace was shocked when she learned she had her own camper; SHIELD took care of their people it seemed. It was a simple camper, complete with a makeshift kitchen, bathroom, and a table that could be folded up to make more room, a pull out couch near the kitchen, and a bedroom with a bed that took up the entire room. It was comfy and definitely an upgrade from her usual accommodations from her earlier years.

Lucas eyed the unpacked suitcases and boxes lying around before commenting. "You've been studying the wall all day, haven't you?"

"Not _all_ day." She defended, opening a box filled with books and rummaging through it for the appropriate books. "I took a break, why?"

Lucas scoffed. "You have not unpacked yet and we've been here for two days now."

"It'll be something to do later." She replied, placing the last book on the table. "I have more important stuff to do now." Lucas just smiled to himself as they sat at the kitchen table, Grace handed him a book on mythos and herself a book on history. "Alright Mr. Larson, here's where you prove yourself useful."

Lucas opened the book, watching Grace as she eyed him to make sure he was gentle with the old book. He sighed and began skimming the pages for any useful information, the camper growing silent as they went.

Two in the morning is quite the bastard of a time; it always seemed to creep up on Grace without her acknowledging its presence. The only way she knew of the time was with the help of Lucas. She had yawned, causing Lucas to look at his watch. "See anything?" She asked, diverting the inevitable conversation of the time.

He shook his head. "Nothing mentions the church. It seems to completely skip that information and go straight to the war."

"Which war?" She asked.

"The Jotun war on Midgard, the end of days before Odin arrived to save it." Lucas replied, detest in his voice.

Grace smirked slightly sensing his resentment. "Not a fan of Odin?"

"He's a fool." Lucas said. "He is righteous and not fit to rule, in my opinion."

"Who would you have ruled then?" She asked curiously. "Who should be ruler of all Nine Realms?"

He smirked slightly, rubbing his temples before answering. "Loki, he seems to have a clear head on his shoulders."

Grace laughed outwardly, a good laugh she had not felt in a long time. "You are aware that the legends say he birthed an eight legged horse, correct?"

"You shouldn't believe everything you read, Ms. Harper." Lucas said musically.

She shrugged. "It's the only thing I have to believe in."

"Oh?" Lucas asked curiously, believing he was finally getting somewhere with the girl.

"Yes, and I also believe that you are slowing down this process by talking." He sighed at her reply. "There has to be something we're missing."

"I think we should take a break to collect our thoughts." Lucas suggested, standing from his seat.

"This _is_ a break." Grace muttered, barely hearing Lucas ask if she wanted tea. She ran a hand through her hair, her eyes feeling heavy as she put her arms on the table, placing her head on them as she continued to think.

"You are quite the curious one, Ms. Harper." Lucas commented, placing a mug of tea down next to her, the smell of chamomile intoxicating her. Luckily, for Lucas, the camper had been stocked with smaller amenities, such as a tea pot and a few tea bags. It seemed Grace was one of those people who couldn't really care for themselves properly. Her work was her number one priority and it was a wonder she was still alive.

"You're trying to poison me." She muttered tiredly at the coffee.

"No, I'm trying to help you relax and hopefully sleep." He chuckled, returning to his seat next to her. "Agent Coulson did say I had to keep you properly functioning for this mission."

"What is our mission again?" She asked.

"And here I thought you didn't care to know." Lucas said, smiling to himself. "We are here to find any clues to unlocking the Tesseract."

"Yeah, by unlocking you mean using its power for bad, of course."

Lucas quirked an eyebrow at her reply, what did she mean by 'bad'? "How do you figure that?"

Grace lifted her head, the smell of chamomile overtaking her as she grabbed the mug and putting it under her nose. "Anyone that wants the Tesseract can only want it for not so nice reasons."

"You believe your employer to want to achieve 'not so nice reasons'?"

"Wouldn't you?" She asked, receiving a slight nod from Lucas. "It's a cube of power, give anyone the authority of power and they will abuse it eventually. It's corruptive."

"You're not a very trusting person, are you?" He asked, watching Grace take a sip of the tea.

She shook her head. "No one has ever given me a reason to be, not going to start now."

Lucas felt a tingle in his stomach, a small ping at the realization that he actually understood Grace and what she meant. His plan was still in effect however, he would bring her down when the time came. "Care to share?" He asked.

She gave him a look, a simple look that had a small amount of disbelief mixed with sarcasm. "You honestly think giving me tea and helping me research was enough to get me to talk to you about myself? We're here working together because we have to, Mr. Larson. We are not and will not be friends, so no; I do not care to share."

"That's quite alright." Lucas said, standing from his seat. "I did not actually care to hear." He would play her game; he would be rude right back to her.

She smirked, laughing slightly at his sudden change in tone. She noticed his height for the first time since her arrival; he was tall, towering over her small 5'1 frame. Lucas was stiff, not wasting the time or energy to narrow his eyes at Grace but rather raising an eyebrow at her laughter. "I think it's time to go to sleep."

Lucas pursed his lips before nodding. "Do you want me to help clear your bed?"

Grace stretched. "There's a pull out couch for a reason."

Lucas shook his head disapprovingly yet smiling. "Good night, Ms. Harper."

A musical hum was her response as Lucas left the camper, leaving Grace to finish her tea and open the fold out couch where she finally crashed.

* * *

Lucas was up early; it could be argued that he did not sleep at all. He walked into the church and over to where Grace had been working, noting her absence. He was almost stunned to not see the girl already at work. He examined the wall once more, seeing if there were any other little hints or clues he missed. To be honest, Lucas was slightly insulted that Grace had found the discrepancy of Asgard and Midgard, and not him. It was his specialty after all.

Pursing his lips, he backed away from the wall and noted the different agents walking into the church, none of which were his pain in the behind friend, Ms. Harper. He sighed, realizing she probably was still asleep. He inhaled sharply through his nostrils and headed out of the church and to her camper, feeling as though he were just there not that long ago, researching.

He stopped short, standing outside Grace's camper. '_Music?_' He thought to himself before clearing his throat and knocking on the door. "Ms. Harper?" He called. "Ms. Harper it's time to get back to work." He called again, nothing. Finally, after giving in, he sighed and opened the door, against his better judgment and upbringing. Lucas walked into the camper, the sound of music he had never heard before flooding his ears as he looked around. On the kitchen table were three books opened to different pages, a laptop on top of one of the books, the floor had opened boxes everywhere, making it difficult to walk, and the pull out couch still in the wall. He heard a noise coming from the bedroom as the familiar small frame of Grace walked out from the bedroom wearing a long tank top and boxers, her hair up in a ponytail, a book in front of her face held with one hand, the other holding a half-eaten apple. "Ms. Harper?" Lucas cleared his throat after nearly choking on them.

She looked around the book, taking a bite of her apple before realizing she wasn't alone. "You're late." Was all she said.

"Late?" Lucas asked, averting his eyes to something other than the partially clothed red head.

"Yes, I was hoping you'd be here earlier."

"The rest of the world needs to sleep." Lucas commented before being distracted by the music. "What on earth are you listening to?"

"David Bowie, it helps me think." She said with an innocent smile and another bite of the apple. "I have determined we're going at this wrong."

"Are we?" Lucas asked.

"Yes, none of these books mention the church, and anything online, well that was a bust." She said, folding the book in her one hand and placing it down. "I was up all night skimming these, nothing."

"This means?" Lucas asked as he cautiously stepped around the opened boxes and to the kitchen table to see the last few pages she had open. "History seems to have nothing?"

"Nothing on what we need." She sighed. "It stops at the war and that's it."

Lucas realized exactly what their problem was. "We're not looking at the right books." Grace gave him a knowing look as though she determined that already, but still missing the point. "We need a book based on the Jotun war."

"A book on the-"Her eyes went wide with realization. "Of course, why didn't I think of that?"

Lucas smirked arrogantly. "See? You need me."

"I would have figured it out eventually." She said flatly before looking in a few other boxes.

Lucas sighed as she bent over, remembering she was still without pants. "I understand the music but, why are you not wearing pants? Does that also help you think?"

She stopped looking in the box before groaning. "Honestly, I forgot."

He grinned as she walked over to him, handing him a book on the Jotun war. "Start looking."

Before he could protest or ask what she was up to, Grace stumbled to her laptop and began typing furiously. "What should I expect to find, or look for?" He asked.

"Read, Mr. Larson. Read and it will come to you." She sang musically, only to begin humming to 'Golden Years' by David Bowie. He felt a grin tug on his lips as he shook his head, looking back down at the book.

'_The church, the guardians who were trusted with the Tesseract in order to keep balance; they were trusted with this task by Odin, himself, as a token of sincerity for the war.' _He kept reading. '_The church was given the mark of the Yggdrasil as a symbol of unity.' _He sighed. "This says nothing about the discrepancy." Lucas said, looking up from the book to see a beaming Grace.

"That's because it's not a discrepancy." She said, tearing away from the laptop and looking at Lucas. "It's done purposely, and we're going to find out why."

"How do you purpose we do that without any clues?" He asked knowing full well he could have the answers if things were different; if he were still _there_.

"Oh Mr. Larson, don't you see?" She asked. "It _is_ a clue."

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks causing an unwelcomed yet hard to hide smirk. "A clue, well then, where does this clue take us?" Grace stumbled around the boxes on the floor and to her bedroom once more, only to reappear just as quickly as she left, holding her notebook and flipping through pages. "Do you carry that book around everywhere?" It was more of a statement than question.

"Yes." She stated simply, brushing a stray piece of red hair behind her ear. "Now focus on the clues, Mr. Larson."

Lucas closed his book and watched Grace fumble through pages. "The clue is that this was not a discrepancy but a deliberate move, but why?"

Grace had managed to find her pen in all the clutter and began making notes, feverishly writing as Lucas stumbled closer to her. Lucas looked down at her writing, noticing drawings and random gibberish, not much seemed to make sense at a glance. Grace quickly closed the book, grinning. "I think we need to explore the rest of the church."

"You think the answer is there?"

"I _know_ it's there." She was beaming as she clutched her notebook tightly and scrambling for the door.

"Ms. Harper." Lucas called to her, stopping her in her tracks.

"We don't have time for whatever it is, Mr. Larson!" Grace reminded him.

Lucas just smirked. "Yes, I am well aware of that and I'd love to get going as soon as possible. However, you may want to put on pants?"

Grace looked down at her boxers before blushing slightly. "Right, pants, got it." She said before scrambling to her bedroom to find a pair of jeans. Lucas chuckled as he walked over to the CD player, pressing the power button to return the camper to a quieter state just as Grace rushed out of her bedroom and for the door. "Let's go!"

Lucas shook his head, amused at how Grace functioned, or rather, her lack of functioning skills and followed her out to the church.

* * *

**Final Thoughts: **Thank you again for reading! Remember to review and I'll see y'all next chapter!


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